Ban Tha Lo

We were dreading the journey to Nan. Only about 230 km but Google had warned us to allow 4 hours. Despite a toilet stop and one wrong turn, we took slightly less.The rural road was actually quite good, but there were a few roadworks because they are turning this curvy and hilly road into a four laned highway.

The last 60 km were particularly steep and winding, but we arrived at our business hotel with no problems and settled into our comfortable, spacious room.

Not for long, though. One of the reasons for coming here was to visit Wat Phumin, built in the 16th century by the Chinese Lu tribe who had settled here. Instead of the usual one Buddha statue opposite the main entrance, there were four Buddhas, one facing each door. But the most impressive feature of this main hall is the murals. Faded in places, the murals are basically in good shape and portray the life of the Nan people at that time.

One of the most famous parts of the murals depicts a tattooed gentleman whispering words of love to a young lady - the famous Whisper of Love. There are quite humorous scenes including a pair of monkeys about to mate and a homosexual pair, each accompanying a young lady, but with eyes only for each other.

In another part of the temple complex there were statues of strange beings torturing other beings. Heaven only knows what that signifies!

Outside the temple complex we popped into the tourist office, where nobody spoke English, and came out with a tourist map that confused us completely. A walking market was being set up alongside the temple. We bought a few bananas and ate them in the grounds of the Nan Museum, where throngs of people were excitedly taking pictures in a small avenue of frangipani trees that were totally bereft of leaves and flowers.

We felt too old to buy food at the market and eat it sitting down on the ground. So we strolled through the town completely lost, until a
kind lady on a moped stopped and asked if we needed help. She put us right and we carried on over a large bridge to the Heritage Hotel on the other side of the river and enjoyed a beer on the riverside. For dinner we stopped at a local riverside eatery and had a lovely meal of chicken with rice and morning glory. We also did some people watching, observing that most of them came by car and what huge cars the Thais drive here!Read more